wood filler for exterior use

My house is 20 yrs old, in the Central Valley of N. Calif. I've got a
couple fascia boards (2X6 fir) that are showing age: the ends have
split a bit and look a bit ragged. There isn't' any major rot or
deterioration yet.
I plan to srape the paint off, sand smooth, fill the gaps and rough
spots, prime and re-paint.
Q: What is the best exterior wood filler for this use?
Thanks a heap
-Zz

Home Depot sells a product IIRC is called RockHard in the paint department.
Mix with water and apply quickly and be sure to remove all loose rotted
material. This is a temp fix that can last for several years but my
experience is that you will have to eventually replace the board.

First clear out all the soft and rotten wood that you can. Then, use minwax
woodhardener http://www.minwax.com/products/woodmaint/hardener.cfm . Then
fill with their wood filler which is similar to plastic body fillers like
Bondo (which I use as much as their filler). If you don't clear out the bad
wood, the filler may eventually fall out.
Preston

I'll second Preston's recommendation to use the Minwax products. I have a
circa 1830's colonial and have used the Minwax wood hardener on small
exterior rotted areas after removing all the loose rot and then using their
2-part epoxy. It's great stuff. Waterproof and can be sanded in about 1
hr. Working time is somewhat limited before it sets up so keep that in
mind. Just follow the instructions. BTW... wear a dusk mask when you sand.
Joe T

This isn't a wood filler but, think about a urethane glue for the
cracked boards. Mist the crack with water then squeeze the glue
bottle tip into the crack area. Use a wood shaving to push as much
glue in as you can. It will foam up and spread. Sands very easy, is
mostly waterproof and holds paint/stain well. Best of all, it won't
crack and fall out.
pete

From this I assume you are talking about filling relatively minor defects
and not trying to fill in big rot holes or areas of missing wood... I've
been using MH Patch for about 10 years now and have had good results. A
contractor associate of mine recommended it as he had been using it for many
years with good success... I believe I've seen this on the shelf on Home
Depot though I generally buy it from locally owned True Value or Ace
Hardware stores where I do most of my business.
John

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